Headlights

I was exhausted as I walked to my car. Twelve hour shifts are not for the weak, especially in the medical field. I had finished my own shift, then having been on call covering for our absent director, had to stay longer to help out when we had four women come in about ready to give birth. Being on admin. call, I had the choice of either going in and helping the docs with the deliveries or finding the RN's who could. Luckily, nature had helped us out, and one mom had delivered shortly after arrival and one more within an hour. That left just two of them to labor and I took one and gave the other to the oncoming L&D nurse.

Living in a small, rural town, you learn quickly to adapt to different situations and you work in all areas of the hospital. I was the OR Supervisor, but also wore the hat of assistant Director of Nursing. It didn't amount to much except on nights like this when they needed the extra help.

Then they called me.

My laboring mom had been an old pro and had delivered her 4^th child within a couple of hours. All I had to do is watch the monitor and call the doc so he would arrive in time. He got there, barely, and caught the baby. Everyone was happy, healthy, and I was going home. I had checked in with Joann and she assured me everything was going well in her room. I just wanted my bed.

I started my car and turned on the radio. Some music would help me stay awake through the twenty mile drive home. We live in the mountains and while our town is small, for some reason, my husband and I chose to live even further out in the boonies. On nights like this I could just kick myself for even agreeing to such a thing. Being exhausted and trying to drive on curving mountain roads just cries out disaster. But luckily for me, I had not had any accidents or deer jumping out in front of me in the ten years I had been making the drive. I stopped at a 7/11 and got a large coffee and started home. Tonight, I needed the extra caffeine jolt to keep me awake. Sixteen hours is too long to be on your feet at my age. I seriously needed to have that retirement talk with my husband.

Sighing, I turned the music up a little louder and took a sip of my coffee. I tried to drive slowly, just in case something came out of the trees in front of me, but I found my speed creeping upward. I was going a safe 55 when I spotted the headlights in my rearview mirror. While it wasn't unusual for someone to be on the road this late, it was close to midnight and I wondered who else was up so late with me.

I drove along for about 10 miles when it dawned on me those headlights hadn't gotten any closer, nor were they any further away. A little chill went through me and I laughed at myself.

"Just someone else obeying the speed limit. Don't be such a baby." I scolded myself. Still, I tried something. I pressed on the gas and sped up to 60 and watched the headlights. It seemed to me like they stayed exactly the same distance behind me. I tried slowing down to around 45 and again, same thing. Now I was getting nervous. I had my cell phone with me, but one of the things about living in the mountains is that there are dead zones all over the place and I had driven that road so often, I knew most of it was a dead zone. Even so, I picked up my phone and tried anyway. I called home, but sure enough, it didn't go through.

I resumed my speed back to 55. I wanted to get home fast, now and away from whoever was trying to unnerve me. My coffee was cold and bitter and I tossed it out of the window. Cup and all. I usually don't litter, but I was so afraid by this point. I was guessing that the car was about a quarter of a mile behind me. At times the lights would disappear as I would drive around a curve in the road. I held my breath and hoped they wouldn't reappear, but they did. Steady and just there. I saw the lights stop for a moment and thought that the person might be turning onto a side road, but then it dawned on me where he had stopped. It was right about where I had thrown out my coffee cup. What in the hell was this guy doing?

When he started back up again, I thought it looked like he was speeding up a little, and I almost lost it right there. I took some deep calming breathes and slowly pressed the gas pedal and increased my own speed. Soon we were both hurtling around that mountain road at about 75 miles an hour and that isn't safe even in the daytime. I tried again to call my husband but had no luck. I was almost afraid to go home. What if he wanted me to go home? What if he wanted to hurt my husband? My mind was going as fast as everything else. I had no place to go, but home.

My only chance was that our road took off to the left right after a sharp "s"curve in the main road. If I could get there before he saw where I turned, perhaps I could lose him. That is, if he was someone who didn't know me or my husband. I knew there was a live cell zone about 50 feet in on our driveway and I could call my husband and warn him from there. Our so called driveway was about a mile and a half long to our house. I started to slowly increase my speed a little more, trying to put some distance between me and the crazy person behind me. I had put a little more distance between us when he had stopped and now it looked like I was able to put a little bit more. I spotted the curve coming up and I sent up a prayer.

I snapped off the headlights and drove that curve from mostly memory. I took my foot off the gas and hoped the car would slow enough on its own so I wouldn't have to put my foot on the brakes and risk him seeing my brake lights. I came to my turn off and turned, skidding only slightly as my little sports car made that turn like a pro. I quickly gunned the engine and headed for the area so I could call my husband. I turned off the car, rolled down my window and dialed home.

The phone rang and rang while I listened for that car to come up the highway. I heard it in the distance, a heavy, throaty roar of some type of muscle car. It sounded like it was going slower and fear tightened my gut. He was looking for me! Where was my husband? I knew he should be at home at this time of night, but why wasn't he answering? I disconnected and held my breath. I heard the car as it slowly drove the highway. It was almost to the curve, at least it sounded like it to me. I frantically pushed redial again, and this time, my husband answered.

"Hello?"

"Babe." I whispered. "I am on our road, at the cell zone, and I was followed all the way from town and now he is looking for me." At that point, my voice broke and I started crying.

"Are you sure he is following you? Don't move. I am coming to get you. And don't hang up!"

"Yes I'm sure. I won't, and hurry up." I tried not to sob like a hysterical woman, but it was awfully hard not to. I kept the phone on and pressed to my ear. I could hear my husband moving around and prayed he would get to me in time. I heard the growl of the car as it moved past our driveway and help my breath again, as if he could hear me breathing over that noise.

The car moved on down the highway very slowly. I knew he was looking for any signs of where I might have gone. Luckily for me, our driveway is hard to spot unless you know what you are looking for. It is overgrown with hanging branches and I had been after my husband to get him to trim them for some time now. I was glad he hadn't listened to me. I heard my husband whisper in my ear that he was on the way and heard him start up his ATV. I hoped the creep in the car didn't hear him. I heard the car again. He must have turned around and was backtracking.

My heart was pounding in my chest and I could barely breath I was so scared. I could still hear my husband coming and I almost asked him to be quiet. I heard the big engine on the highway stop and rumble as its driver idled not far away from the entrance to our driveway.

"Oh crap. Baby I think he sees the driveway." I cried into the phone.

"Ok". Was all my husband said and then I didn't hear the ATV or him anymore. Panic set in and I didn't know if I should try to run up the driveway to meet my husband or if I opened the door, would the creep out there on the road, somehow see the light. I decided to wait.

I could hear the awful rumble of that car as whoever was behind the wheel was deciding what to do. I shook and had to pee, but I was so not getting out of that car. I had my window down so I could hear both the car and if my husband was nearby, so when a hand came through the open window and grabbed my shoulder I opened my mouth and was about to scream when my husband clamped his hand over my mouth and whispered for me to be quiet. I almost bit him. Instead, I nodded and he let go of my mouth.

To look at my husband, you wouldn't think he was the dangerous type, but don't let looks fool you. This is a man who worked in law enforcement for all of his adult life, until he retired and we moved up into these mountains. He is always armed to the teeth and a heck of a shot. Mr. Muscle car was in for a surprise should he decide to turn up our driveway. I gave a huge sigh of relief and quickly whispered to my husband everything that had happened since I left the hospital.

"Stay here, Babe. I'm going to go have a look at this idiot."

I just nodded.

I watched my husband disappear into the shadows and settled back to listen. The car still rumbled in the distance and I wondered, too, if the driver had slipped out of his car. My husband had been gone for about 10 minutes when the rumbling suddenly stopped. My heart stopped for a couple of seconds, too. I listened so hard I hurt myself, but I couldn't hear anything. I waited.

After glancing down at my watch for what seemed like the hundredth time, I heard footsteps coming my way. Deliberately noisy footsteps. It had been almost 20 minutes since the engine had stopped on the highway and I didn't know which person was coming. I peered down our road and prayed it would be my husband. It was. I cried in relief and watched the love of my life come back up our road toward me. He looked alright. I stayed put until he got close and I saw he was covered in blood. I didn't waste any time then and threw open the door, light be damned.

"What happened? Are you alright? Is that your blood?"

"I'm ok. It isn't mine."

I grabbed him in relief and we stood there in those dark woods and held each other for what seemed like forever. I was shaking like a leaf and he felt solid and firm and I needed that so much. I didn't ask any questions that night. He got into my car and drove us back to where he had left his ATV. I was ok enough to drive on home and he followed on the ATV. We trooped silently into our log house and stared at each other.

"Do you remember that man who I sent to prison about 15 years ago for the kidnapping and rape of the 17 year old girl?"

"Yes. How could I forget? Wasn't he the one who sent you the death threats?"

"That would be him. Babe, that was him in that car."

I sat down on the couch. "How did he find us after so many years?"

"We aren't exactly hiding up here. My guess is he was paroled recently and came looking for me. I was supposed to be notified of his release, but evidently, I wasn't. I will be making some calls in the morning."

"Is he still alive?"

"No."

My husband turned and went into our bedroom and I heard the shower come on. I cried the entire time he was in there. By the time he came back out, I was composed, though. I was in my nightgown and in bed. He crawled in next to me and I snuggled next to him. He pulled me close and we lay there holding each other tight. Each lost in our own thoughts.